Adventures in Idaho-Oregon

Warning:  This is a long one.  I covered a lot of territory in a short amount of time.  I hope it's not too boring!  I tried to add lots of photos to keep your attention.

It's been a busy summer at work, and I was really looking forward to a week away when I hopped in my Huckleberry bound for Boise and beyond.  As always, I got a late start and left an hour off schedule.  I couldn't wait to actually have a real night OUT, and had plans to meet some good pals and the newest Boise brewery, 10 Barrel Brewing, at 7:30pm.  I wanted a little time prior to that to freshen up at Mom's before making a public appearance in the "big city".  If that was going to happen I was going to have to haul some ass.

I only marginally lead-footed it down I-15 to I-84.  After passing through a wall of smoke from the massive Elk Complex fire burning near Pine, Idaho - the giant cumulus clouds created by the fire were quite a spectacle, and I even saw active flames not far to the north along the foothills - I raced to Mom's, made myself pretty, and got my butt downtown to the corner of 9th and Bannock, home of my 105th brewery. I found my pals, Brandy and Eric, sitting at the bar drinking Swill.  Yes, that's the name of the beer.  Swill.  It's a style I had never heard of before, a German Radler, but after looking that up, I realized it was something familiar.  A Radler is the German version of a shandy, half beer and half lemonade or lemon-lime soda (or something similar).  10 Barrel's version is described by them as such:  "We started with a base of  German Berliner Weiss and added multiple layers of grapefruit to this summer crusher."  How do I describe it?  YUM.  Way better than any shandy I've ever had.  Light, sweet and delish.

10 Barrel Brewing Co - Boise

Being the flavor of the month, the new shiny toy, the in place to be, 10 Barrel was packed, both inside and out, which felt like one and the same since they have the big roll-up garage-type windows.  The place was filled with good beer ambiance.  The tuns and kettle were on full display to the rear, as was the "Barrel Aging Room" (woo hoo, barrel-aged brews!), and they had a huge, colorful chalkboard over the bar announcing all the available flavors.  I also liked the brick walls and high ceilings full of metal and raw wood beams.

10 Barrel Brewing Co - Boise

10 Barrel Brewing Co - Boise

As I said, they were packed, so we had to wait to be seated, but soon enough we were led to a big table with long benches on either side, and soon after that, more friends began to arrive.  Before long, our table was overflowing with good pals, food and brews.  That Swill was so wonderful, especially in the Boise heat, that I decided to go with another.  I'd already tried a taste of an English Bitter that I didn't find at all good, and didn't think I was in the mood for an IPA.  I almost changed my mind on that after trying my friend, Paul's, beer; I think it was the India Session Ale (ISA, they called it).  Very good.  But I didn't, and after perusing the beer selection again, I spotted a sour.  Yes!  The Raspberry Hibiscus Crush:  I shared a glass with my friend, Brandy, before we decided to head out to our next stop.  Mmmmm...

The beautiful Brandy and our Raspberry Hibiscus Crush (sour).

The next stop of the evening was a one of my old tried and true Boise haunts, Bittercreek Ale House, the place that is probably the most responsible for turning me into the beer crazed wander woman that I am. They were my first introduction to a craft beer taphouse and did a wonderful job of rotating their selections so I could always find something new to try.  They recently did a little remodeling, adding the coolest sign I've ever seen in a brewery, taphouse or general beer establishment:  Beer to the People!

Beer to the People - Bittercreek Ale House, Boise

I enjoyed an unusual selection, a Rye-sing Sun Saison IPA from Crooked Fence Brewing of Boise.  Two of my favorite styles mixed together like a Glee mash-up, it started very bitter like you'd expect from a rye IPA, but finished with a touch of sweet.  I would have expected that to go the other way around, but was much more pleased with the actual result. After finishing up our brews, we decided we were all getting too old to be out so late on a Saturday night, made our farewells and departed for our respective dwellings.

Sunday night I enjoyed a wonderful evening catching up with a couple former co-worker friends, Jenn and Joni.  I asked that we meet somewhere yummy with good beer, and Jenn suggested Old Chicago at Boise Towne Center Mall.  Perfect.  We gabbed and gabbed, ate some tasties (I do love Old Chicago's food offerings), and I enjoyed a Boise favorite, a Three Picket Porter, also from Crooked Fence Brewing, served in one of their gigantic 23 oz. glasses.  Happy Kimmy!

Me and my Three Picket Porter - BOING!

On Monday evening, I got a call from Brandy informing me that Payette Brewing was hosting their drink-for-a-cause night and did I want to meet up with them?  Heck ya, I did!  I'd been to PB before and usually purchase a 6-pack or two of their canned beers whenever I visit Boise.  Their Mutton Buster Brown, Outlaw IPA and Payette Pale are all solid offerings.  Big treat for me, though, this time around, they had a delicious saison.

I opted for the seasonal Leaning Barn Farmhouse Saison

The cause for the night was the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Coalition.  We felt bad because the people kept coming by to tell us how to keep our children safe from internet predators, but none of us have children except for the furry, four-legged kind. There weren't that many people out drinking on a Monday, either, so we all had an extra beer to make up for the lack of drinking participants.  Always happy to drink for a cause!

Maria, Brandy and Eric - drinking for a cause

Wednesday, Mom, my brother, Tad (aka Bird), and I jumped in Mom's car and took off to road trip all over Oregon.  Our first destination was a visit with Mom's friend, Aurie, just outside of Bend.  There are loads of breweries in Bend, but I knew we'd likely only have time for one.  After taking the scenic route through John Day, we arrived at Aurie's house in Alfafa, OR.  As we were all a bit hungry, it wasn't long before we headed out in search of dinner, settling on Baldy's Barbeque where I paired my meal with a lovely Twilight Summer Ale from local Bend brewery, Deschutes.  I've had a lot of Twilight this summer, actually.  It's an easy to drink, flavorful ale that goes nicely with most anything.

Baldy's Barbeque

After dinner, we made a quick stop at Safeway to check out their beer selection and found it to be quite extensive.  Preferring to drink canned beer whenever I can find it, I chose a four pack of very potent Vortex IPA from Fort George Brewing in Astoria, OR, a six pack of Watershed IPA from Oakshire Brewing in Eugene, OR, and a six pack of Double-D Blonde Ale from Hop Valley Brewing, also in Eugene.  

On the way to Baldy's my beer radar spotted a brewery, and as it was on the way back to Aurie's, we decided to try it out.  #106, Worthy Brewing, is the newest on the Bend brewing scene having opened earlier this year.  It is quite the place.  Huge - lots of room for growth.  And all built with eco-friendliness in mind.  They also have a nice-sized hops and vegetable garden as well as a greenhouse.  I tried a six taster flight that included their bitter, Single Hop, Eastside Pale, IPA, saison and Helles bock.  I don't think they came out in the correct order, nor do I think that I got the correct beers, so I'm hesitant to give any kind of real report. If I do remember, though, the pale was the best of the bunch.  I was really excited about the saison (I'm always excited about saisons), but I think that one was missing and that I got some kind of wheat instead.  All the same, I enjoyed the place.  They have a gorgeously muraled wood stone pizza oven.  I don't have a photo, but you can see it here: http://www.worthybrewing.com/wood-stone-oven.html

Worthy Mobile

Hops!

Dedicated to the longtime USDA Hopmeister, responsible for 23 varieties of hops.

The remains of my six taster flight.

Thursday morning we hit the road bound for Crater Lake.  We got a late start and after stopping to check out Lava Butte, part of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, it wasn't long before we were feeling hungry.  Right about that time we were passing by the Sunriver Resort and lo and behold, a sign for Sunriver Brewing!  Naturally, we had to check out their lunch and beer menus.  That was easier said than done, though.  After turning off the highway, we couldn't find another sign telling us where to go.  It's a resort set-up so all the shops and restaurants were pretty much in one place, but everything looked alike and the signage was generally inconspicuous.  After going in circles a few times, we asked a guy who looked like he might be from the area and he got us pointed in the right direction.  

The brewery (#107) was nice, unpretentious and basic, doing only the bare minimum in decor.  I went with the Grandma's Pale Ale and the Brewhouse Tacos with blackened cod.  Mom had one of the salads and a cup of chili and went on and on about how good it was.  I can't remember what Bird opted for; he was all about the USA vs. Ukraine soccer friendly that was on the TV, and all but ignored the food and beer.  All in all, not a bad place, but nothing exceptional, either.

Mom and our Sunriver brews

Crater Lake was amazing, but because of all the wildfires in the area, a smoky haze marred the views.  I guess I'll just have to go back!  From Crater Lake we were headed for the coast taking Oregon Hwy 138, a beautiful drive.  Along the way, we stopped at the Idleyld Lodge (http://www.idleyldlodge.com/) for dinner. There we met the "owner's other half", as Ron called himself.  A great guy, and very excited about the lodge (bed & breakfast), the food and their future possibilities.  I wish them the absolute best of luck!  It was a neat place with a lot of history, and the food was very good.  Granted, I went for a basic three cheese grilled cheese sandwich with tots, but it was a very yummy grilled cheese.  I also selected a 20" Brown Ale from Cascade Lakes Brewing in Redmond, OR.  I really like a nice brown; I don't understand why they are so difficult to find.  

The next morning we made it to the coast and found it full of rain and fog.  Mom wanted to visit the Heceta Lighthouse so we stopped at the beach below to first hunt for shells and other treasures.  Lucky us, Mother Nature decided to be nice and give us a bit of sunshine not long after our arrival.  I found two perfect sand dollars right away, and then promptly squashed them both by accident.  Rats!  But then I found a better, if smellier, treasure, a dead starfish.  We wrapped it up to keep the stench at bay in the car so could take it home to dry it out, then we hiked up to the beautifully restored lighthouse.  They give a nice tour and the view is wonderful - when the sun is out.  The area is also filled with an abundance of blackberries which we all gorged ourselves on as we wandered around the grounds.  

  

Heceta Lighthouse

Heceta Beach

After that we found ourselves hungry again and decided to find a brewery in Newport.  Using my brother's smart phone, we followed the directions for Brewer's on the Bay, not realizing that it was actually the Rogue Brewery.  I'd been there before, long ago, but we were hungry and Mom and Bird wanted to check it out.  I can say this, they have WAY more beers on tap now than they did back then!  Criminy!

Rogue - Brewers on the Bay

Truly, this place is nothing at all fancy.  In fact, for such a nationally renowned brewery, it has the feel of a neighborhood garage brewery.  Except for all those beautiful taps.  I've never seen so many at one brewery. I had a difficult time making my flight selections.  I finally chose the Chipotle Ale (more smoky than hot), the Juniper Pale Ale (pleasantly piney), the Dry-Hopped St. Rogue Red (it was alright) and the Beard Beer.  I had no clue what that was since they did not have descriptions on their beer list, but since I'm a fan of beards, I had to try it for the name alone.  It wasn't until I got home and looked it up that I discovered this:  

Beard Beer is brewed with a yeast created from Brewmaster John Maier's Beard. No Need to freak out, Brewers have used wild yeasts in beer making for centuries. John has had the same Old Growth Beard since 1983 and for over 15,000 brews, so it is no great surprise that a natural yeast ideal for brewing was discovered in his beard.

EW!!!  But admittedly, it was pretty good.  Still... EW!!!

Lunch wasn't all that great. I had clam chowder and calamari. The chowder was so-so and the calamari was swimming in grease. The Hazelnut Ale beer bread, however, was wonderful.

Look at all those beautiful taps!

Me beer selection

After that, we stopped in a foggy Depoe Bay to stretch our legs and act like tourists for a bit, much to my brother's chagrin.  It's a nice little tourist trap, what we could see of it.  Then we continued up the coast toward Astoria, our final coastal destination.  As we were passing by Tillamook, my brother spotted the most enormous air hangar and, being a huge military plane buff, asked if we could go closer.  Turns out it's now an air museum (http://www.tillamookair.com/), but was built during WWII to house eight 252' long K-class blimps.  The word huge does not do it justice.  It was after hours so we weren't able to go inside, but we had fun taking pics of the building and the Boeing 377 Mini Guppy out front.

Bird and the Guppy at the Tillamook Air Museum

We arrived at the Tillamook Cheese Factory just as they were locking the doors.  No cheese!!!  That was a bummer.  It was also getting dark and we needed a place to stay for the night.  The next seaside town up US-101 was Rockaway Beach where we were met with one No Vacancy sign after another.  At last we lucked out and found a relatively reasonable room at the Sea Treasures Inn.  They had just had someone do a late evening check out.  The room wasn't going to be ready immediately so after taking a brief glance at the beach, we decided to wander down the street for some liquid refreshment, and ended up having some of the most fun of the entire trip thanks to those silly electronic bar game machines.  Mom and I really had a ball playing one of those find the hidden objects games while having a few beers.  For the life of me, I can't remember whose IPA I had, but it was pretty good.  All I know is that it came from an Oregon brewery.  

Friday was the last day of this family road trip adventure and it started out foggier than ever.  I was disappointed because the nifty giant ocean rocks near our hotel that I'd glimpsed in the dark the night before, were completely lost in all that pea soup.  We made a stop at Cannon Beach to see the "Goonie Rocks", the ones from the treasure map in The Goonies, but the fog was even thicker there.  We walked down the beach a bit and then wondered how we would ever find our way back up to the parking lot.  

Mom and Bird at Cannon Beach

Then it was on to Astoria, otherwise known as Goonie Town!!!  We should have found the Goonie house, but of course we were short on time and hitting up another brewery took precedence, naturally.  It's always good to have a reason to return, right?  Astoria is a nifty little town and more than worth another trip.

Astoria Brewing Company & Wet Dog Cafe (#108) was down by the piers.  I liked the place quite a lot. One wall was all open to the outdoors to their riverfront seating, and the interior is full of all sorts of things to catch the eye.  Debating between inside and out, we finally opted to sit at the bar.  They were out of the Solar Dog IPA, my first choice, but the Poop Deck Porter ended up being an excellent second.  It was strong, malty and rich.  Delish!  We only had time to stay for one brew, unfortunately, as we had to make it back to Boise, so we snagged some complimentary popcorn for the road and headed for the highway.

Me with the vast Columbia River behind me

Wet Dog Cafe & Astoria Brewing Co.

Our beer options at Astoria Brewing

Here I digress a bit for a brief moment... the road from Astoria heading east is the famous Lincoln Highway, US-30.  Most of my life I have lived near this highway, and I always seem to find my way back to it one way or another. Growing up in Nebraska I was one block away, it merges with Interstate 84 as it passes by Boise, and it goes right through Pittsburgh as well.  It was fun to make it to its western terminus.

Anyway, back on the road to Boise, Mom pointed out Full Sail Brewing in Hood River as we passed by. That's definitely on my list to return to.  They make some good beer.  My friend, Sara, recently left some Full Sail ESB behind after her recent visit and I've quite happily taken care of it for her.  

We had just passed through Pendleton and were heading over Emigrant Pass (also known as Cabbage Hill or, most appropriately, Deadman Pass), already a tough stretch of road, when we entered a huge storm cell. It was raining so hard we had to pull over to the shoulder, as did a number of other drivers.  Those that chose to continue found themselves hydroplaning all over the road as they hit deep standing waters. SCARY!  One fool on a motorcycle in shirtsleeves, only a half helmet, and a semi on his tail went roaring right through.  We couldn't watch.  Apparently he survived because we didn't find his remains along the way when we were finally able to continue.  That storm was something!

Storm cell over Emigrant Pass - the brown smoke at the bottom is from a lightning caused fire.

By the time we reached the other side of the pass heading into La Grande, we were ready for some food. The plan was leaning toward fast food so we wouldn't lose too much time getting to Boise, but then Mom said, "Was that a brewery?"  And yes, it was!  Mt. Emily Ale House (#109) was a simple place in downtown La Grande.  Bird and I decided to have pizza, and when it came, it didn't look like much, but it was wonderful.  And the beer was good, too.  I had the Hells Canyon IPA.  Nicely balanced and perfect with the pizza.  

Bird and Mom outside the Mt. Emily Ale House

Back in Boise, on Saturday my family got together at Municipal Park to celebrate my grandpa's 90th birthday.  I was so happy to be able to be there.  We all had a great time catching up with one another, and I finally got a chance to try out some of those Oregon brews I'd purchased.  I mentioned earlier that the Vortex IPA was potent, but it's also a very in-your-face style IPA.  Agressive.  That's not my favorite type of IPA, but it was pretty good once I got past the initial punch.  The Watershed IPA was a little more to my liking, though it's got a hoppy harshness, and is not very balanced.  

Me and Grandpa

Grandpa sampling the frosting

After the party wound up, Bird, cousins Staci, Dyllus, and Justin, and I decided to do some more catching up. It's been ages since we've all been in one place.  I suggested we meet at the Taphouse Pub, home of the largest selection of draft beers in Boise.  Despite that wonderful, gorgeous selection, I wanted some more Swill.  So did my cousins, Staci and Dyllus, so we ordered a pitcher.  Still YUM!  We talked family history and laughed over a lot of remember whens.  Good, good times!  Several hours passed in a blink.  The next thing I knew it was Sunday and time for the long drive back to Montana.  

Staci, Justin, Dyllus and Bird

What a great trip!  I'm more than ready for the next one... coming soon at the end of the month.  Woo hoo!